[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7756-7757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING BUENA VISTA WINERY'S WINE TOOL MUSEUM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2015

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Buena Vista Winery on the occasion of the opening of their new, first-
of-its-kind Wine Tool Museum. The oldest premium winery in the United 
States, Buena Vista has been in operation since 1857 when a Hungarian 
immigrant, Count Agoston Haraszthy, established the vineyards and built 
the winery. Over the intervening years, the winery has had a colorful 
history, passing through many hands before ultimately being purchased 
by Jean-Charles Boisset in 2011. Boisset immediately hatched a plan to 
turn the property around that eventually culminated in the creation of 
the Wine Tool Museum, which officially opened to the public on March 
24, 2015.
  The Boisset family already had an impressive wine tool collection 
when Jean-Charles's sister encountered a man in Burgundy looking for a 
buyer for his enormous thirty thousand item collection of wine tools. 
With the combination of Boisset family implements and the new 
acquisitions, the Museum's collection encompasses items as diverse as 
antique plows and blades, secateurs, and wine harvest baskets.
  Along with its impressive collection of tools, the Museum guides 
visitors through history

[[Page 7757]]

with an educational film that traces winemaking in the region from the 
early days of Haraszthy through the plague of phylloxera. The first of 
its kind museum tells the story of California's wine community. People 
will not only be able see, but also learn about, the tools that brought 
wine from the vine to the bottle a century and a half ago.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and proper that we honor Buena Vista 
Winery at this time. Its commitment to not only preserving viticultural 
history, but demonstrating the evolution of the profession, will help 
increase awareness and appreciation for California and Sonoma's long 
history of winemaking.

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